consolidate these attributes following WPML/WCML best practices

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client is facing an issue with duplicated WooCommerce attributes in different languages on a WPML-stabilized site. They want to consolidate these attributes without breaking products, filters, SEO, or using destructive SQL.
Solution:
We recommend checking if the duplicated attributes appear at Products > Attributes in the WooCommerce section. Here, WooCommerce should only display attributes created in the site’s default language, as this is the canonical source. Translations are managed through WPML’s Taxonomy Translation interface, not listed as separate attributes. It's important not to merge translated taxonomy slugs back into one, as this would disrupt language-specific filtering and URLs. Instead, ensure attributes are registered once in the default language and then translated via WPML’s taxonomy translation. This approach maintains functionality for products, filters, and SEO. If duplicate attributes in other languages appear as separate entries in the admin list (e.g., 'Destinos', 'Duración'), these might have been manually added and are not linked to the originals in WPML’s translation tables. In such cases, deleting these manual entries at Products > Attributes is advisable.

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Tagged: WCML

This topic contains 2 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by yhasmanyc 3 months, 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
January 3, 2026 at 9:35 pm #17701694
yhasmanyc	Hello WPML Support, We have a WooCommerce + WPML site that is already fully stabilized (no orphan strings, no admin_texts issues, autoregistration disabled). Our current challenge is structural: over time, duplicated WooCommerce attributes were created in different languages (e.g. pa_destination vs pa_destinos, pa_trip-length vs pa_duracion). We want to consolidate these attributes following WPML/WCML best practices, without breaking products, filters, or SEO, and without using destructive SQL. Could you please advise the official supported workflow to merge or normalize duplicated attributes in this scenario? Thank you.
January 3, 2026 at 11:41 pm #17701734
yhasmanyc	We already rebuilt all WooCommerce attributes from scratch following WPML best practices. There are no duplicated or legacy attributes active in WooCommerce anymore. The remaining references (Rank Math, Mailchimp, old plugins) only exist as historical WPML strings (admin_texts_) and gettext domains, even though the plugins were removed. Our goal is database and WPML maintenance: safely removing orphaned admin_texts_ and string domains related to plugins that are no longer installed, without affecting active plugins. Please confirm the recommended and supported way to remove historical admin_texts and gettext domains for uninstalled plugins.
January 4, 2026 at 12:48 am #17701769
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, Could you please clarify if you see duplicated at Products > Attributes? In Products > Attributes, WooCommerce only shows the attributes created in the site’s default language. That’s the canonical source. Translations are not listed here as separate attributes — they’re managed through WPML’s Taxonomy Translation interface. - WooCommerce attributes are global taxonomies (pa_destination, pa_trip-length, etc.). - When WPML/WCML translates them, each language gets its own taxonomy slug (pa_destinos, pa_duracion). - If you see multiple pa_ taxonomies in the database, that’s expected — but in the admin you should only see the originals. This is by design: WPML doesn’t keep one shared taxonomy slug across languages, it creates a translated version so that filters, permalinks, and SEO can work correctly in each language. IMPORTANT: - Do not try to merge them back into one slug — that would break language‑specific filtering and URLs. - Instead, ensure attributes are registered once in the default language, then translated via WPML’s taxonomy translation. - As long as products, filters, and SEO are working correctly, this duplication is normal. Exception: If you see duplicate attributes in other languages (e.g. Destinos, Duración showing as separate attributes in the admin list), it means someone manually added them in Products > Attributes instead of translating. These are not linked to the originals in WPML’s translation tables. If this is the case, it would be advisable to delete such entries at Products > Attributes. Best regards Andreas
January 5, 2026 at 11:59 pm #17705486
yhasmanyc	Hello Andreas, Thank you for the clarification. We have reviewed Products > Attributes carefully and can confirm the following: We do NOT see duplicated attributes in Products > Attributes. Only the attributes created in the default language are listed there. There are no manually created attributes in secondary languages (e.g. Destinos, Duración) showing as separate entries in the admin. All attribute translations are handled via WPML → Taxonomy Translation, not created manually. We understand and confirm that: Seeing multiple pa_ taxonomies at the database level (e.g. pa_destination / pa_destinos) is expected behavior. These translated taxonomies are required for correct filtering, permalinks, and SEO per language. We are not attempting to merge or unify slugs, as we are aware this would break WPML/WCML functionality. At this point: Products, filters, URLs, and SEO are working correctly per language. Our current work is focused on cleaning legacy WPML string registrations and metadata residues (e.g. old admin_texts and unused strings), not on WooCommerce attributes. So we can confirm there is no issue with duplicated attributes in WooCommerce, and no further action is required on that front. Thanks again for the confirmation. Best regards